Knife sharpening?

The No1 App in Europe for Hunting Area Management - MyHunt
wildfowler.250

wildfowler.250

Well-Known Member
Right folks, needing some opinions please.

I’ve got a few knives now. A custom one which I still give a hard time taking feet off etc. an Eka swingblade,(which I’m a big fan of from the reversible point of view). And a few other oldies.

They all eventually need a tune up. I’ve used a strop as recommended by one of the knife makers but it doesn’t make a huge difference.

I’ve one of these blade tech, carbide V sharpeners which I’ve been told just shave a V into the blade. If the blade is harder metal than the carbide, you apparently just blunt the blade and the sharpener. It does bring the less fancy kitchen knives right up though.


I’m thinking about getting a couple of whetstones? Is there a particular grit folk would recommend? Or should I be using something else? I see a lot of folk use a honing rod,(even sometimes after whetstones).


Any opinions would be great! Or I’ll be going back to scalpel blades..

Cheers!
 
You could be about to head off down a rabbit hole!
Search YouTube for "Burrfection", "How to sharpen knives like a japanese master" - but there are many, many others - too many and a lot of them are utter tosh so watch out
Whetstones are great and they're what I learned to sharpen knives on when I worked in a pathology lab many years ago
Unless the edge is really ruined you don't need too coarse a grit - 600 or 800 is enough to restore an edge on a genuinely dull knife
If the edge is just going you can get it back to a decent working edge on an 800, but I prefer to re-hone my knives when a 1000 is enough
You will likely never need to go to 2000 grit or finer other than just for the sake of it - having said that my finest stone is a 16000

Next thing is, do you go for natural stones or synthetic, or go the whole hog to ceramics?
You could do worse than read the information on the "Knives and Tools" website - they're based in either Holland or Belgium but deliver to the UK no problem
They're how-to descriptions and clips are some of the best I've seen
As for stones
Ice Bear make really good natural stones
Arkansas stones are good, but good luck remembering what grit each colour is, I end up writing it on the side in indelible ink
Skerper make good stones (of all types, materials & grits) & strops - incidentally using grinding or polishing paste/wax on strops makes them even better, the K&T site explains that too I think
Shapton make fantastic ceramics - the ones on glass plates are really good, I use my set for everything now, even my wife's kitchen knives

Whatever you do, the key is maintaining the angle and take it easy, you can take metal off a blade but you can't replace it

Personally, I wouldn't put any of my knives into a machine of through one of those two-ceramic-rod devices - not ever - but, that's my opinion and others will disagree and strongly
Your choice in the end
 
wildfowler.250 said:
Right folks, needing some opinions please.

I’ve got a few knives now. A custom one which I still give a hard time taking feet off etc. an Eka swingblade,(which I’m a big fan of from the reversible point of view). And a few other oldies.

They all eventually need a tune up. I’ve used a strop as recommended by one of the knife makers but it doesn’t make a huge difference.

I’ve one of these blade tech, carbide V sharpeners which I’ve been told just shave a V into the blade. If the blade is harder metal than the carbide, you apparently just blunt the blade and the sharpener. It does bring the less fancy kitchen knives right up though.


I’m thinking about getting a couple of whetstones? Is there a particular grit folk would recommend? Or should I be using something else? I see a lot of folk use a honing rod,(even sometimes after whetstones).


Any opinions would be great! Or I’ll be going back to scalpel blades..

Cheers!
Click to expand...
Wait until you get to Africa the local lads will show you how... on the edge of the door window or a piece of flat stone
 
@wildfowler.250 - have a look at a basic 3 stone Lansky rodded sharpening system. They are reliable, work well with knives up to 6" long and .2" thick.
Really simple and will give you a good edge.
 
Rory said:
When all you have is an Okapi, then that will work fine, wouldn't want to have a nice knife ground up by the locals...
Click to expand...
Yes but they don't have a lanskey...it was tongue in cheek, I wasn't taught how to sharpen a drill I just copied the profile of a sharp one until it cut even both sides much the same as a knife... :tiphat:
 

This guys shows his 'Rule Of Thumb' which is how to set the angle using his.........thumb.
I use the cheap diamond stone and strop for removing the burr.
 
Cheers for all the help guys! A lot of useful info there and didn’t quite realise how much depth there is to this.

Ended up buying a lansky diamond set. Might be a case of buy cheap buy twice compared to some of the sets that are £300-£400 but it’s a starting point.


Hopefully now less wild swipes and likely injury trying to get a semi sharp knife to cut.
 
wildfowler.250 said:
Cheers for all the help guys! A lot of useful info there and didn’t quite realise how much depth there is to this.

Ended up buying a lansky diamond set. Might be a case of buy cheap buy twice compared to some of the sets that are £300-£400 but it’s a starting point.


Hopefully now less wild swipes and likely injury trying to get a semi sharp knife to cut.
Click to expand...
You want the 20° angle for a Scandinavian grind, razor sharp every time!

That’s 3rd hole down on the lanski, had a set donkey years and still use it t on this day
 
When one is employed as a butcher in an abattoir a bloke must have super sharp edges to keep his place on the chain. We all used 'oil stones' the coarse and smooth ones that every chippie has for his chisels but used water to carry any frass away. A steel hooked on chain belt for touching up frequently during the toil.

There is no need to get sucked in buying Jap or Schmarkansaw stones at all.

edit to add 'dont use oil as all it does is clog up the stones pores'

www.mefe.com.au

Oil Stone - Dual-Grit Stone for Blade Sharpening

Enhance your tools and knives with our Dual Grit Sharpening Oil Stone. This versatile sharpening stone features 250 and 1000 grit aluminum oxide for precise sharpening and polishing. Perfect for carbon steel, plane blades, chisels, turning sets, and more. Discover the perfect edge today.
www.mefe.com.au www.mefe.com.au
 
Last edited:
Mungo said:
I tried all sorts of systems until @Cottis recommended the Edge Pro. Completely fool proof and produces terrifyingly sharp edges.
Click to expand...
Anyone had experience with a Amazon/Ebay/temu copy of the edge pro ? there are many versions out there. Which I thought might be worth a punt for £40. ( I know buy cheap buy twice)!
 
Nimrod1960 said:
Anyone had experience with a Amazon/Ebay/temu copy of the edge pro ? there are many versions out there. Which I thought might be worth a punt for £40. ( I know buy cheap buy twice)!
Click to expand...
DO NOT buy the copies. The system works on the basis of the stones being the exact same depth from the top to the aluminum base and also being flat. The cheapo versions fail in many ways in this regard. Firstly, they are more narrow so less cutting area means more work required. Secondly, the stones wear out fast and more importantly, not at the same rate. So you are effectively introducing new geometry to the knife edge each time you swap a stone. Which means you go round and round in circles without ever producing truly apexed bevels.

Lastly, the design of the Edge Pro is easily reproduced but the materials and build quality are not. Mine is covered in all sorts of muck after years of use and no part of it has failed. Metal fixings are still working as they should and I am yet to replace any stones and believe me, I sharpen a ton of leatherworking tools as well as kitchen and hunting knives. I probably have sharpened more edged tools in a handful of years than most people will do in their lifetime.

It is a buy once cry once situation. It seems a big outlay but the results speak for themselves. You want even bevels, consistently, all the time, every time. Do not show people your knives once you have learned how to produce a devilishly sharp tools or you will suddenly have lots of "friends"

Some examples of knackered knives I was given that were easily reprofiled (to limitless angles, no set BS that you cannot modify. You choose EXACTLY the angle of sharpening) and also the mirror polish you can put on bevels.

TheNaJ9.jpg

WLMqxs9.jpg

n6z4Xks.jpg
 
Cottis said:
DO NOT buy the copies. The system works on the basis of the stones being the exact same depth from the top to the aluminum base and also being flat. The cheapo versions fail in many ways in this regard. Firstly, they are more narrow so less cutting area means more work required. Secondly, the stones wear out fast and more importantly, not at the same rate. So you are effectively introducing new geometry to the knife edge each time you swap a stone. Which means you go round and round in circles without ever producing truly apexed bevels.

Lastly, the design of the Edge Pro is easily reproduced but the materials and build quality are not. Mine is covered in all sorts of muck after years of use and no part of it has failed. Metal fixings are still working as they should and I am yet to replace any stones and believe me, I sharpen a ton of leatherworking tools as well as kitchen and hunting knives. I probably have sharpened more edged tools in a handful of years than most people will do in their lifetime.

It is a buy once cry once situation. It seems a big outlay but the results speak for themselves. You want even bevels, consistently, all the time, every time. Do not show people your knives once you have learned how to produce a devilishly sharp tools or you will suddenly have lots of "friends"

Some examples of knackered knives I was given that were easily reprofiled (to limitless angles, no set BS that you cannot modify. You choose EXACTLY the angle of sharpening) and also the mirror polish you can put on bevels.

TheNaJ9.jpg

WLMqxs9.jpg

n6z4Xks.jpg
Click to expand...
Thank you for taking the time and trouble to respond and with pics.

I think I just needed telling 👍

Birthday next week so while she who must be obeyed is horsing in Transylvania 😱 with her mates. I can get on and buy my gift from her 😉.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

For Sale: SOG Knife Sharpener
Replies
0
Views
143
Koenig
Koenig
Any stories of longevity or extreme pushing to the limits of items in life
2 3
Replies
43
Views
1K
Klenchblaize
Klenchblaize
Knife Porn
Replies
0
Views
265
Peter Eaton
Peter Eaton
Sold: RWS Knife Sharpener
Replies
2
Views
318
Koenig
Koenig
The good old days
Replies
1
Views
317
Bavarianbrit
B
Leica Fortis 6 - Bright and powerful.
Back
Top